Editor’s note: The Evanston RoundTable is a nonprofit. As such, we do not endorse candidates. But we are charged with educating our audience and building a safe online place for public discourse. Therefore, we will publish letters of people endorsing or supporting candidates if they are signed with your full name(s). We will accept no letters with name calling or misinformation. Send your letters to news@evanstonroundtable.com
Election season is upon us and it appears we have big decisions to make regarding who will be leading us for the next few years.
Some say the economy is in recession. I know from going to the Jewel that groceries are certainly more expensive, the gasoline on Central Street costs a lot more and my 5% raise isn’t keeping up with the cost of living.
- I do know that the Illinois economy has grown only slightly while surrounding states such as Indiana did better.
- Those who have 401K/403B’s saw their accounts shrink by more than 20% once you factor in inflation.
- Interest on the federal debt for the month of August was $88 billion—that’s on track to be a $1.06 trillion expense—greater than we spend on national defense.
- We elected these officials who made decisions regarding economic growth in Illinois and the United States. These elected officials are also making the national debt the albatross that will be around the neck of future generations.
Regarding crime, the SAFE-T Act is clearly troubling and raises credible questions regarding the wisdom of our elected officials who voted for this at 5 a.m. Jan. 13, 2022. For us, those elected officials are [Democratic] Governor JB Pritzker, [Democratic] state Sen. Laura Fine, [Democratic] state Reps. Robyn Gabel and Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz.
The SAFE-T Act effectively eliminates cash bail. Imagine what this will be like after the SAFE-T act is implemented. We need to be concerned for the victims of crime. Somewhere along the line our elected officials seemed to forget who they serve.
Education. The Roundtable has covered education with aplomb. For those who have forgotten, District 65 in 2021, 32% of students met or exceeded Illinois Assessment of Readiness standards in English (41.8% in 2019). For math in 2021, it was 33% (40.3% in 2019). Evanstonians proudly support our schools. Knowing that education is the bedrock for a successful generational future, we can not allow this to continue.
Abortion. Candidates of both parties throw overheated rhetoric regarding abortion. Simple question for our elected officials and candidates (which I hope the Roundtable will allow the candidates to reply to this opinion piece). Do you support limits on abortion? If so, what are those limits? Enough of the fear mongering. All of you tell us where you stand so that we can make an informed decision this fall.
National polls tell us the economy, crime, education and abortion are the top issues. Please educate yourself on where our elected officials voted and where their opponents stand as well.
The RoundTable has listed all the current elected officials and their opponents in its piece on the November 2022 ballot.
There is much riding on this election. Do your homework. Be an independent thinker. Are you better off now than in 2019?
Sincerely,
John Foley
Evanston
Impressive how the writer completely glosses over COVID and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Apparently being an ‘independent thinker’ means having amnesia and adopting GOP talking points wholesale.
A great place to do research is the candidate webpage. Charles Hutchinson is running for Illinois State House – district 18 which covers most of Evanston.
https://hutchinsonforil.com/